Nonlinear photoemission from metal surfaces induced by short laser pulses: the effect of field enhancement by surface plasmons

Nonlinear electron emission processes induced by surface plasmon oscillations have been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The measured above-threshold electron spectra extend up to energies whose appearance cannot be explained solely by standard non-perturbative methods, which predict photon energy separated discrete energy line spectra with the known fast fall - plateau - cutoff envelope shape, even when taking the large field enhancement into account. The theoretical analysis of our data, based on the concept of plasmon-induced near-field effects, gives reasonably good explanation and qualitative agreement in the whole intensity range.